Club racing weekly round up | June 27
Keelboat Wednesday
Pictured above: Mandy Bishop, Mojo, Pepsi
It was a night of tight competition and shifting conditions for the Wednesday Night Cruiser racing fleet at HYC. While numbers were slightly down due to family holidays, the Sigma 33 Nationals kicking off the following day, and a strong HYC presence at Kinsale’s Sovereign’s Cup, those who lined up enjoyed close competition across all classes.
The fleet got away in an initial southerly breeze of 14 knots, with fog wrapping around Howth Head and Lambay, adding a dramatic backdrop and extra navigational challenge. As the race progressed, the breeze eased and shifted 50 degrees to the east, creating tricky tactical decisions across the course. A strong flooding tide made boat positioning even more critical, but also kept opportunities alive for comebacks throughout the fleets.
Pictured: Out and About
With Cruiser 1 regulars away in Kinsale, Class 2 stepped up as the fast fleet of the evening. Jeremy Beshoff’s J70, Jawsome III, took a commanding double win on HPH and IRC, while Nobby Reilly, also in a J70, secured second on HPH. On IRC, Darren Wright’s Mata – a Half Tonner – claimed the runner-up spot.
In Class 3, there was consistency at the top, with Kevin Darmody’s Gecko and the HYC K25 team on Kilcullen claiming a one-two finish across both HPH and IRC scoring.
The White Sails fleet had the largest turnout once again, and on HPH, it was a night to remember for Doug Anderson and Mark Tattersall’s Pepsi, taking their first win of the season. Close behind was Mandy Bishop, racing one of HYC’s Club J80s. On IRC, the battle between Colm Bermingham’s Bite the Bullet and Dermot Skehan’s Toughnut continued, with Colm claiming the upper hand on this occasion.
In the overall season standings, Bite the Bullet holds a slender half-point lead over Toughnut in the HPH series, while Toughnut maintains a one-point edge in the IRC rankings – setting up an exciting run-in to the second half of the season.
Report by Neil Murphy